We need to have something like this for Virgina, DC, and Maryland
Archive for August, 2008
SF Police Training Video
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008WMATA Regan National stop out of service this weekend
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008WMATA is performing major track work this weekend
This weekend, Metro will undertake a major track rehabilitation project on the Blue and Yellow lines that will heavily impact service between the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Braddock Road Metrorail stations. The stations will remain open, but the track between them will be closed, so customers using the Blue and Yellow lines should add 30 minutes into their travel plans to allow to transfer to a shuttle bus to get through the affected area.
Less people using the bay bridge
Monday, August 25th, 2008From Washington Post
An analysis by The Capital newspaper, of Annapolis, shows about a quarter million fewer cars crossed the twin spans in the first seven months of this year compared to the same period in 2007.
Now all we need is bike access to the Bay Bridge which is currently prohibited and we could really drop that number.
Take another look at buses for commuting
Sunday, August 24th, 2008The Washington Post has article on using buses as an alternative to driving.
Buses may lack the hipness of subways or light rail, but they are the best hope for accommodating large numbers of new riders quickly and affordably. To harness the increased demand for mass transit, officials are turning to new ways of delivering and marketing their bus service.
When looking at public transit we need identify the major routes, then use local connections, walking, biking, and local buses to feed into those major routes. Washington has metro area already has the metro which act as major trunks, we should be looking for the gaps and filling them with express buses, bus rapid transit, light rail etc. The Washington area does best when linking buses to the metro, we need to do more with rapid bus links to make interconnected journeys possible.
It sounds likes WMATA’s Catoe gets it and is already working to this goal.
Expanding and improving Washington’s bus service is critical to shift some of the pressure off the rail system, which is packed during rush hour and has little room to add longer or more frequent trains. Catoe has proposed an extensive network of express buses that would use shoulders or bus-only lanes to help meet the region’s immediate transportation needs.
DC Bus rolls into appartment building
Friday, August 22nd, 2008The Washington Post is reporting that a WMATA Bus rolled into an apartment building.
A Metrobus crashed into an apartment building in Alexandria last night, rolling away while the driver was outside the vehicle trying to manually close its malfunctioning doors.
Metro Testing Straps for th height Challenged
Thursday, August 21st, 2008The Post reports that metro has been testing new straps that will help people who can’t reach the top pole..
The transit agency is testing several different styles of overhead handles in rail cars to give riders something to hold onto for extra balance and comfort.
I haven’t tried them out in person, but some of the Fairfax Connector buses have spring-loaded stainless steel handles, which I have found to be next to useless on the buses, you need something solid to brace your self on as a bus swings round corners. So hopefully the straps will work out better.
After using the new 6000 cars I dislike that they have removed a number of polls that go from the floor to the ceiling, they are my favorite brace point for when you have to strand. it also always a natural hand grab for all heights.
Washington post on ICC and Bike Path
Thursday, August 21st, 2008The Washington Post is finally catching up on the discussion of the ICC Bike Path
Now, the possibility of building a continuous, off-road bicycle and walking trail along the Maryland highway’s 18.8-mile route is in jeopardy — in the name of protecting the environment.
NBC only ugly bikes at union station
Monday, August 18th, 2008NBC did a piece on the lady who had her bike confiscated at Union Station in Washington DC.
Picked up from Greater Greater Washington
Got an ugly bike, don’t park it at Union Station in DC
Thursday, August 14th, 2008If you have an ugly bike, you might want to think twice about leaving it locked up outside on Union Station, from the Washington Post letters page.
I went to the nearest security guard to report the apparent theft, and he promptly retrieved my “stolen” bike. As it turned out, my bike had been judged to be “unsightly” by Union Station standards and had been impounded. They had cut the lock and confiscated the machine, obviously without bothering to verify whether it was abandoned or just a little beat up.
Dundee to introduce Paris Style Bike rentals
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008The BBC is reporting that the Dundee is going to start a bike rental scheme similar to the Paris one.
People would be able to pick up a bike at places like the train or bus station then drop it off at certain points across the city.